Mortal Shell: Complete Edition depicts a grim, deliberate niche in the soulslike genre, but its ambition stumbles under uneven execution. Developed by Cold Symmetry, this action RPG thrusts players into a bleak world of shattered realms and hollowed-out warriors, with the Complete Edition bundling all DLC, including the Virtuous Cycle expansion. While it has an oppressive atmosphere in spades and punishing combat fans expect, it lacks the polish and depth to stand shoulder to shoulder with its inspirations.
Possessing dead warriors or “shells” to embody different playstyles offers a fresh twist on character builds. The shells are essentially character classes, represented as physical husks that the player’s ethereal protagonist inhabits. Each one defines a distinct playstyle through unique stats, abilities, and narrative flavor. The Complete Edition includes the four main shells: the balanced Harros, Tiel for agile players, Eredrim the tank, and the technical Solomon, plus additional content from the Virtuous Cycle DLC, which introduces randomised shell upgrades. Swapping shells at Sester Genessa and discovering them through exploration, each shell offers a pre-set identity rather than customisable builds.
Different shells shift combat dynamics significantly, encouraging experimentation. Swapping between these husks mid-fight feels satisfying, and the hardening mechanic, which lets characters briefly turn to stone to block attacks, adds a tense rhythm to encounters. However, the system fails to deliver its potential due to its limited shell variety and repetitive upgrades, leaving progression feeling shallow compared to its contemporaries. Skill trees for each shell are linear and lack branching paths. Unlocks often feel incremental, like marginal stamina boosts, reducing the sense of meaningful growth. The Virtuous Cycle’s randomised upgrades help, but come off as inconsequential.
Combat is weighty, demanding precise timing for parries and dodges, but enemy AI often undermines the challenge. Foes either overwhelm with erratic aggression or stand idly, breaking immersion. Bosses, while visually striking, lean heavily on familiar soulslike archetypes, such as slow, telegraphed swings or relentless rush-downs, without enough unique flair to linger in memory. Turning into a statue to take the hit feels and looks weird because it goes against natural programming from the last several decades that have taught players to use a shield, but it becomes second nature after a few bosses. While innovative, hardening’s timing is finicky, and its cooldown feels a few nano seconds too long.
The Virtuous Cycle’s roguelike mode tries to shake things up with randomised runs, but its rewards feel underwhelming, and the grind for upgrades grows tedious. Mortal Shell’s imagery excels with its haunting, mud-soaked aesthetic. This title was always a deliberately haggard and ugly game. Running on the original Nintendo Switch specs made it look nastier. The rough and muddy textures come across filthier and more inhospitable. The gnarled imagery ultimately enhances the decrepit ambiance. Crypt-like environments and grotesque enemy designs drip with dread, backed by a moody soundtrack that amplifies the desolation.
The world-building, though evocative, struggles with vague storytelling. Lore is scattered through cryptic item descriptions and NPC ramblings, but it lacks cohesion, leaving the narrative more obtuse than intriguing. Exploration rewards curiosity with hidden upgrades, yet the interconnected world feels small, with backtracking that grows more frustrating than fulfilling. All the elements are there, but they don’t come together to make the world feel convincing.
Mortal Shell: Complete Edition on Nintendo Switch delivers the full scope of the game’s innovative shell mechanics and haunting visuals, but its technical shortcomings make it a compromised experience. When it first released, it ran on an unlocked frame rate, typically jumping anywhere between 20 to 40 fps. The erratic experience was a tall order for anyone to accept. Anyone who decides to play it on Nintendo Switch 2 will bear witness to a transformative improvement, as it runs a very stable 60fps for the most part. The backward compatibility, combined with brute force, enhances playability, saving this game from being completely unplayable and leaving it as merely mediocre.
